Local Firefighters Learn the Ropes of Technical Rescue

Firefighters last week had to rescue a man who was unconscious at the bottom of an approximately 14-foot drop with poor air quality and other potential chemical hazards.

The "victim" in the confined space was Attleboro firefighter Dennis Perkins. Perkins, one of six Attleboro firefighters selected for the Bristol, Plymouth and Norfolk County Technical Rescue Teams, was playing victim as part of a training and rescue exercise.  

Perkins, along with 22 firefighters from Stoughton, Canton, Foxborough, Norton, Framingham, and several other Massachusetts municipalities, received extensive training through the academy last week.

Captain Jim Bertram of the Stoughton Fire Department represented Stoughton.

"These members will receive more than 100 hours of highly-specialized training in technical rescue activities including confined space rescue, trench rescue and rope rescue," Chief Scott Lachance said.

Perkins noted that they were not previously trained in any of these areas. He said the training would have been handy during the recent fire at Engineered Materials Solutions in Attleboro.

“There was an area that had narrow and confined hazards,” he said. “In general we have plenty of risks because of the industrial buildings that have been converted. Some places at TI (Texas Instruments) have areas with confined spaces 30 feet deep or more."

Perkins and the 22 other firefighters were trained to make the best, fastest and safest decisions during rescues while their four instructors — Ryan McGovern, Nathan Schirner, Kevin Cronin, Dave Wiklund, along with support specialist Bob Sebastian — provided support and answered questions.

"That is what I enjoy the most about training, the problem solving and decision making," said Instructor Ryan McGovern, a member of the Boston Fire Department, Tower 10.  

McGovern and the other three instructors set up several exercises, including one where firefighters had to maneuver through long, dark tubes, remove debris, then find and rescue an unconscious victim. 

Firefighters also had to set up a 4:1 pulley system, connect a safety line then rescue a victim several feet below. Instructors provided different scenarios during the training to help firefighters who may be faced with similar scenarios in real-life rescue missions. 

"One of the biggest problems we see in our industry is 'Type A guys' who don’t want to stop (before going in and rescuing someone), but unfortunately without proper training we end up having to save our own guys,"  McGovern said. "In fact, 60 percent of would-be rescuers become victims."

Stoughton firefighter Jim Bertram said he faced a situation three years ago where technical assistance was needed. Bertram said a man became stuck under a concrete slab in Stoughton and officials had to call in the Plymouth County Tech Rescue team to help the victim, which added time to the process.

"Now, it will be nice to have a rescue team close by," Bertram said.

Andrew Morgan, a native and current Canton Fire Department captain, said it was some of the best training he had since joining the department 17 years ago.

"This brings the level of training and camaraderie to another level," he said.

Other firefighters who participated in the training were: Dave Paiva (Berkley), Chris Madden (Milton), Ambrose Smith (Fall River), Roger St. Martin (Fall River), Glenn Mackillop (Westport), George Hogg (Bridgewater), Paul Chuilli (Bridgewater), Eric Arruda (Acushnet), Jim Bertram (Stoughton), Bob Wood (Norton), Jack Hebert (Foxborough), Dennis Perkins (Attleboro), Wendell Robery (Canton), Andrew Morgan (Canton), Kevin Farrar (Taunton), John Couroupacis (Foxborough), Joe Messia (Randolph), David Arsenault (Plainville), Dave Currier (Kingston), Rob O'Brien (Anson), and Peter Folton (Weymouth).